Yup – it’s that very Iain Matthews! MSC first got recognition for their arrangement and cover of Joni Mitchell’s “Woodstock” and the musical world has never forgotten that Mr Matthews was once a member of Fairport Convention.

I had no idea he was still making music and stumbled upon this under-advertised release (end of Feb) quite by accident. He is the sole remaining member of the original MSC and for this album enlisted three Dutch musicians, Bart Jan Baartmans, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer, Bart de Win who plays keys for Birds of Chicago and forms half of an acoustic duo named Tipjar, and one Eric Devries who hails from Utrecht and who writes, plays guitar and mandolin and has released a well-regarded solo album of, wait for it … Americana! All very competent, might I say (despite looking as though they’re escapees from the Great Train Robbery, ala Phil Collins/Buster), which has resulted in a nice, assured collection of songs – fifteen in all, which might be a tad too many – things got to rambling a bit in the middle, or maybe that was just me. I’d have trimmed it back by a third, and I don’t understand these ‘bonus’ tracks. If they’re on the album, they’re on the album – it’s not like this is a reissue or anything. What does it mean? Anyone?

Nothing to set the world alight, but oh my – it’s lovely to listen to good, solid songs that make sense, have structure and are well executed. They revisit a few tracks from way back when including “Darcy Farrow” and James Taylor’s “Something in the Way She Moves”, their rendition of which I wasn’t particularly sold on, but on the whole, an enjoyable listen. I’d probably pick up album if it popped up on my radar – might be a grower.

"The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us." ~ Bill Watterson